Bar Masa

Masa is not one of the most expensive restaurants in New York, it is the most expensive restaurant in New York. With Masa'a pre-fixe menus starting at $400, a dinner at Masa will cost you no less than $500 (especially with the manditory 20% service charge that doesn't count towards the tip on your bill). But what many people don't know is that right next door there is Bar Masa that shares the same kitchen as Masa. The only difference is that Masa's chef is Masa Takayama himself but for those who want a glimpse of what Masa has to offer (such as its Seasonal Sushi Tasting and Quail meatball with foie gras miso skewers). While Bar Masa is not by any means cheap (its about double than whatever you'll pay at Nobu and triple whatever you're going to pay at SushiSamba) it is certainly less expensive than the $400 pre-fixe menu you'll find next door. Bar Masa is quite small but very elegant and simple in design. The Japanese wood bar and ultrasuede banquettes are a good backdrop for the simple yet over the top Japanese food.



Bar Masa takes the idea of Masa but translates it into a cheaper a la carte form. You still get to enjoy all of Masa's unexpected Japanese dishes with truffle and caviar but the portions are bigger and the prices are a lot lower. However the quality of the food is most certainly not the same since it is not prepared by chef Masa Takayama himself but quite frankly this is the next best thing considering Masa and Bar Masa share the same kitchen. To start I had Akami (lean tuna) Saki (salmon) and Kanpachi (amber jack yellowtail) sushi to start. The sushi was very fresh at Bar Masa but then again what else was I to expect. Considering the rest of the menu, Bar Masa's a la carte sushi and sashimi menu is actually reasonably priced for an upscle Japanese restaurant. After I had the Salmon and Avocado Roll with Tempura Flakes and a Yellowtail Scallion roll. The rolls at Bar Masa is where I feel the pricing is a bit overboard. I can understand the 4 small skewers priced at $29 because they use foie gras and I can understand the Masa Toro with Caviar roll being $68 because they use both Toro (which in some cases can be up to $70 a piece) and caviar in one dish. But $18 for a plain Yellowtail roll is a bit absurd. Okay fine Masa does include 8 pieces per roll and the pieces are quite large but $18 let's put it into perspective. Nobu, who is quite overpriced for what they offer (I love the place but I'm the first to admit it), charged $7.50 for a Yellowtail roll. Bar Masa charges more than double what one of the most expensive and well known Japanese restaurants in Manhattan charges. I guess that's what makes Masa THE most expensive restaurant in New York (it even beats Per Se).



I was happy to visit Bar Masa especially since now I kind of have an idea of what Masa would be like. Bar Masa is the next best thing to the $400 pre-fixe menu. The food was fresh and the decor was nice though it is pricey. I can't say that it impressed me more than Sushi Seki (which is still for me the best sushi restaurant in Manhattan) but it is a good option especially if you want to see what Masa is all about!